In 1977 Minnesota was stricken by drought conditions that nearly rivaled the infamous drought of the 1930s. That crisis prompted the Legislature to look at how the state’s water supplies were being managed. Recognizing the need for improvement, the Legislature responded by passing the Comprehensive Local Water Management Act (Minnesota Statutes Sections 103B.301 to 103B.355). The act encourages counties to protect water and related resources through the adoption and implementation of local water management plans that are based on local priorities. Local ownership is the hallmark of the program. While the plans are voluntary, various state grants and even some federal monies require the county to have an adopted water management plan which is updated every five years.

In 1989, The Clearwater County Board of Commissioners appointed a local citizens-based task force to guide development of the plan for Clearwater County. The Task Force comprised of local representatives and interests as well as natural resource agency representatives serves in an advisory role to the SWCD, and ultimately to the County Board.The Clearwater SWCD accepted responsibility as lead implementing agency and fiscal agent. This program’s name was changed again in 2004 to reflect the planning and implementation components, becoming Comprehensive Local Water Management. The SWCD Board and staff have worked with the Local Water Plan Task Force to implement the strategies identified in each Annual Work Plan. A meeting is held each year to discuss local resource issues and provide Committee members with updates on water quality protection accomplishments.

The Clearwater SWCD recently updated the Clearwater County Local Comprehensive Water Plan. Our new Water Plan will be in place from March 2010 through March of 2015.